3.26.2012

giveaway #83

I have a fun announcement to make today!! I have not just one grand prize winner for the last giveaway, but TWO! Dancing Dog Dyeworks & Little Lippy Ewe put together two yarn plus pattern kits for you! Here are the winners:

I'm really excited to bring back this giveaway's sponsor, because she's not only one of my favorite designers, but also a really sweet online knitting friend! It's Liz Abinante of Feministy. If you have not met Liz's patterns before, they're a must see! Liz was on YOTH over a year ago and we did a fun interview back then together. She was kind enough to make some time in her busy schedule to meet with me again for another catch-up interview. Check it out...

Liz and Little Red Bicycle have teamed up to bring you a fantastic giveaway: TWO grand prize winners will each receive a half skein of the beautiful Unicycle Lace in the Ursula colorway and a PDF pattern of the stunning Lancet shawl! These winners will be randomly picked as usual. Here's a close up of the yarn!

Two additional winners will chosen based on their answer to Liz's fun question! She talks about it at the end of the part 3 video. Liz will choose an answer and I will choose an answer at the end of the giveaway. Each of the best answer winners will receive a PDF copy of the entire Arch Shawls collection. Good times!!

I would like you to do the following if you would like to be entered into this week's giveaway:

2. Leave a comment on this blog post by the end of Sunday, 4/8/12. If you could create your own country, anywhere in the world, what would you name it, and where would it be?

You need to listen to the interview to hear Liz's answer, but here's mine: My country would be called Skeinland. The country would be one big farm somewhere that would have an abundance of sheep, yaks, goats, alpacas, bunnies and maybe some silkworms who would all get along and the climate would magically accommodate all of them. We would have plenty of wonderful people there to care for the animals, so us knitters could do what we love best... knit! We'd probably need to invite some indie dyers over too!

I'll randomly pick the winners in 2 weeks and post the results along with the new giveaway, so be sure to check back. Good luck everyone.

77 comments:

My country would be called Horizon, and would be a mystery island somewhere warm, but with a cool sea breeze. And it would have plenty of animals - large and small wandering around, and there would be one main rule, that you can't harm any of them.

I believe my country would be a little island somewhere warm where the water is turquoise and teeming with life. I would call it the Squid Isle and its population would be me and my cats, but visitors would be allowed. We would live on fruit smoothies and sushi and always have sand everywhere.

my country would be on the beach, but the sand would never be annoying, getting into your knitting and such. everyone would sit around with their kitties and knit or do other art and just enjoy life. no worrying about work or exercising, just relaxing and wonderful. i think i would call it un-sand-land...just for fun.

My country would be full of mountains and woods. Only log cabin homes (or tents, but I prefer plumbing). And lots of campfires and storytelling. And knitting. But that's a given. It would be called Elysium, partly because it is a pretty word and partly because I like Greek mythology. We wood have Elysian fields border our mountains. Anybody with a happy disposition, stories to share, and knitting to make is welcome. Along with their signifact others. And we would have the barter system, no money. I would raise chickens. And a llama or two (for my yarn).

My country would have the juxtaposition of skiing mountains and beautiful coastal beaches, all in close proximity. That way, all my friends could come stay and be happy in our respective desires, be they skiing or swimming. We could all reconvene at the house, with a big wrap around porch in order to enjoy the sunsets. I'm not sure the name at this point even matters, but it would have to be something inviting...Shoreski? (that sounds lame, but I'm horrible at naming things)

I can't decide if my country would have beach or woodland, so I'll have to do half and half. Sunny beach and shady woods would be a dream. I'm going to be a big thief and call it Pern after a world my favorite author (Anne McCaffrey)created. Hopefully her dragons will show up if I do.

Years ago my friends and I found a Wendish community/museum in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas. So I would call my country Wendlandia, and it would have to be located near the ocean...but only if plenty of air conditioning is available. Can't knit with sweaty palms.

I would be somewhere where it is warm, but has a nice breeze. And it will be sunny exactly half the time. The other half it will be overcast and ....wait. Why don't I just take over New Zealand? Yes. And I shall name it The Shire and I can still knit. Yes. I shall do that!

Well I like my countries cool and lush and rainy, so I'd probably stick it on an island near Britain (on the warmer side, though) so there'd be lots of green misty fields and lots of sheep.

And I'd call it something horrible and boring, like... "Drear", so that other people wouldn't want to go there, because darn it, it's my island, and we don't want tourists. (Of course, I'd let everyone I like in on the secret.)

I'm not sure where I would want my country to be located, either in South America or close to the equator and the international date line. About half of it would be covered in rain forests, with many waterfalls. We would have living root bridges, like they do in Meghalaya. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this video. It is amazing!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWPN5tQcAJ4)

The other half would be farmland. The houses would be clustered in towns, and everyone would know everyone else. Everything would grow here, including creativity.

People would gather in coffee shops and pubs to talk philosophy, science, history, math, books, and how their knitting is coming along. The children would be taught as part of the community. Everyone would help out in the schools. People would join each other for spontaneous concerts, bringing out their instruments just for the joy of playing and listening.

Oh no! I'm terrible at this sort of creative question. :-( My country would be someplace where you had the best of both worlds -- lovely tropical beaches with turquoise waters and snorkeling and surfing, plus mountains right there where you could ski to your heart's content.

FracksIsland, It would be a island off of the So Calif Coast, where you could raise sheep, have herding dogs, there would be spinners, and dyers, the food would appear already cooked, and we can knit or crochet all of our clothes. Everyone would get along, there would be no bullies, and since Frack likes cats everyone can have the pets they love.

My island would be called the Isle of the Elderly, and I would be in a warm area, near Florida mayhaps, and it would me just me and th old people from the nursing home where I work. I love my old people.

I've been bad at naming things all my life (ex: stuffed clown named clowny), but my nameless country would be somewhere with no humidity or pollen (so I could actually enjoy spring) or mosquitoes, and every day would reach a nice 75 degrees. Except on days where I wanted to wear my latest knit project. Then, it would most certainly be cool enough for that.

My country would be Turtle Islands. It would be an archipelago of volcanic tropical islands, similar to the Hawaiian islands. Sea turtles would bask in the sun on the black sand beaches. Steep mountains covered in lush rainforest would rise behind those beaches. I'd mainly stay on the warm shoreline with the turtles, but those high mountains would provide a cool misty retreat where I could wear my wooly knits.

I would name my country Qland... it would be someplace that had seasons, as I enjoy them so. However, each season would be the perfection of that season - snowy winters, warm lovely summmers, you get the idea!

My country would be located on my own new planet where it is warm and sunny and there are ocean breezes. It would be called Amazia because everything there, including all the food and people and animals would be amazing.

My country, like many others, would be an island, but it would have a cool days occasionally- not COLD days, but cool enough to wear handknits. It would be very animal-friendly - you could take your dogs to sidewalk cafes and lots of people would have farms with sheep and goats and alpacas. And all my favorite vegetables are in season all the time. I'm no good at naming things - I've never even had to name a pet (my dogs both came with names already)! So we'll just call it Happy Island!

My country would be somewhere warm with no mozzies, a cool but not freezing winter so I could wear handknits without having to put a down jacket over them, and would be called Spindrift. There would be lots of fibre animals there and a mill to prep fibre for spinning and knitting.

That was a fun interview!My country would be somewhere where there is snow all year long...but mild weather...not super cold. We would all wear knitted wool clothes, of course. We would raise alpacas and sheep in order to keep a constant supply for our knitting, dyeing and spinning addiction! To live in such a country would be very calming. My country would be called Zenitude.

My country would have a wonderful Mediterranean climate and 30 hour days to get more things done (like knitting!). I'd be able to have a big garden and grow food year round. I'm tempted to call it Noman because, "No man is an island," but that is kind of groan-worthy. But I can't come up with anything better.

My country would be called Pashyn (It's a sort of acronym for the names of my sister, me, and our two best friends since forever), and it would be somewhere that had all four seasons very distinctly. The four of us are as different as the four seasons should be, and the country would need to be able to celebrate that. :) Plus, the differing weather in each season would allow us all to celebrate each others passions, while being able to celebrate each other's passions when ours wasn't in season!

Maybe I'd just go all dictator and selfish and say that I would call my country "Charlotteland". It'd be all about me and letting me do whatever I wanted. I could give up work and spend my day crafting, looking after my family and living the good life.

My country would be called "Ez" after one of my dogs. He truly believes he is the center of the universe (probably because we treat him like so), so we might as well all be able to say that we live in the land of Ez. That would make him very happy.

Requirements for location are: four seasons (Ez loves playing in a good snow storm, so tropical is out), multiple in-land lakes (large and small), many beautiful mature trees and lovely flowers. Based on this description, think upper Great Lakes region.

Not sure exactly where it would be. Somewhere with all the yarnie animals having lots of land to graze, but with water, beach, and woods nearby also. Tremendous amount of yarn and roving available. Climate would be in a location that tends to have 40 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year.Great giveaway!!

Not sure where it would be located but my country must have both a cool, mountainous, woodsy region and a warm, gorgeous beach with clear turquoise water (I like the tranquility of the mountains, my hub likes the sandy warmth of the beach, and without him it just wouldn't be paradise.) As for a name, I'm partial to Shangri-la.

LOVE Liz's idea of a yardage calculator! Her patterns are awesome - expertly written and explicitly clear. If only more designers put as much care into their patterns!

My country would be somewhere cool, green, and coastal - fjords not beaches - with mild summers and chilly winters. It would be peaceful and quiet, but easy traveling distance to a small-to-mid-sized city (like Reykjavik sized). It would be bordered by countries with which we had good trade relations and favorable exchange rates, keeping knitting affordable.

I am a new convert to the church of beautiful run by Liz. I love all her designs. I knit the full cowl KAL and it was crazy fun. LOVE the new shawls.

My country would be called Abracciaperteia. (open arms in Italian + ia)

It would be located on a coast in a temperate climate where we could grow a variety of fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Hard work would be prized, and self-reliance would be the state motto. Kindness to one another and the earth would be as common as cellphones in the US. Everyone would be welcome no matter what their race, gender, belief system, loved ones, or lifestyle. Knitters would absolutely fit in and be prized citizens alongside backyard gardeners and sewists.

My country would be called Sheridan, and it would be right by Turkey in the Caucasus mountains. It would be almost identical to its neighbor Georgia, but homosexuality would be embraced, and women would have much more equality.

I think I would name my country selvfølgelig. (it's a danish word that means "of course" and you pronounce it seh-foo-lee, but I would probably pronounce it seh-foo-lee-gig just for kicks) and it would probably be on the same latitude as Juneau, AK or Denmark, but it would either be inland or be a big enough country that it was snowy in the winter and warm in the summer but not too wet or humid. You have to have a cold-ish winter so that you have a reason to knit lots of warm squishy things!

My country would be called Blueland, as opposed to Greenland which is very cold, Blueland would be warm and tropical, on a secluded island somewhere. There would be lots of walking trails along the ocean, and lots of outdoor space to relax in while knitting or reading a good book. It would be a place I can go to once in a while when I need time away...nobody wants to be secluded all the time!

My country would be called Nohomeworkia. It would be a regular place with regular weather and regular people. The only thing different would be the children of Nohomeworkia would get no homework so all the Mom's would have more time for their favorite hobbies, say knitting, for instance.

My country would be in the Greek Isles (Crete?). I would name it Indigo (my favorite word - Indigo, my dog, Indigo Girls, the color....). I love the island of Crete so I wouldn't change a lot other than I would import all of my friends, family, some businesses I like (LYS, restaurants, coffee stands, a few sheep farms, etc). I would also add one mountain somewhere that miraculously had snow for skiing year round. I would also invite all Ravelers, knitters, spinners, and creative folk to live there from all over the world. My country would be in it's own universe where the economy would flourish, there would be world peace and tolerance. There would be no division of income - people would do what they love, have universal access to healthcare, education, and opportunity. It would be utopia!

The key feature* of my imaginary Mediterranean island nation, called Chronos, is that it exists in some magical time-warp, where time passes veeeerrrrry slowly. Longing for a seaside vacation, but only have a Sunday afternoon to spare? Can't seem to find the time to finish that Aran sweater? Come spend two weeks on Chronos, and be home in time for dinner! The travel brochure writes itself!

My country would be called Bibble, 'cause it's just fun to say. It would be somewhere in the Swiss Alps, and there would be goats frolicking and lots of homemade cheese and Swiss chocolate and maybe the occasional disgruntled nun singing old Queen hits on the hillside. And we'd all knit lace all day whilst enjoying the stunning vistas and cool pine-scented breeze that Heidi chick was always going on about.

My country would be somewhere with a coast line where you could go swimming in summer without freezing your toes off, and with nearby mountains where you can go hiking, or skiing (and wear your woolly knits!) in winter. I'd call it No man's land because it would be open for anyone.

My country would have mountains and valleys and lots of lakes and rivers. It would be called Independence and would most likely be in Eastern Oregon to Western Idaho. The land would be fertile for growing food, fibers and pasturing fiber animals.

My country would be called Cozy, and it would be tucked away somewhere with lots of snow and an abundance of well-heated log cabins. Hot chocolate (the good, extra creamy kind) would be free and instantly available at all times, and the one giant library would provide supremely soft wool, knitting needles, and patterns in addition to their infinitely large collection of books.

My country would be called Utopiknit and it would be located in the magical mountains (location undisclosed at this time). This country has the capability for the dwellers to dial up whatever climate and attributes that they feel like experiencing that day. It could be a tropical island with blue waters and white sands with a tropical hut with a wraparound porch with comfortable lounge chairs for knitting, or a log cabin with a crackling fire in the fire place with comfy arm chairs. Of course every knitting project turns out beautifully without any mistakes and fits perfectly. Charlene Brown (Keppygirl on Ravelry)

I would call my country Flower! I think flowers are magical and they make me happy! Of course, I'm aware that there would probably be a lot of bugs in my country... :( So I think that a little bit of cold weather would be good in that country too! And for knitting of course!

I think any country I created would be called just Haven, because it would be a haven away from everything crazy and weird. It would have to be entirely self-sufficient and with temperate weather, with easy access to both the ocean (for sailing) and to mountains for hiking and other such activities.

Hraðahindrun (icelandic for "speed bump") would be made up of parts of Germany, Poland, and Denmark.

Why Hraðahindrun? because it's -really- fun to say...and starting a country would be large bump in the plans of the other surrounding leaders to be sure. As for why that area, I've always wanted to go to those places, and the weather would be good sweater weather. After a few years in the southern US, i'm really missing cool weather.

It would be called Perfect, a perfect white sand beach with turquoise waters and a gorgeous mountain range close by. We would all eat wonderful food, no calories, wine fountains, chocolate trees, unlimited time and yarns!!

Simply Paradise, I mean if it is a dreamland and all it should suit all our wants n needs... from being lush n green like ireland, with woodland activities nearby, but a knit curtain would fall between climates to keep each perfect! (skiing mtns cold, brook swimming holes warm) Of course all food would be again... perfect, with minimal preparation required, fresh and non fattening but with all the flavor! MOney would be of little importance and there would be no greed or cruelty.

If I could create my own country, it would be called Home, and it would encompass the whole world, so that there would be no borders and no boundary disputes. Or it could at least be a floating island that had the right to park anywhere in the world so that we could have any climate we wanted. It would be run by women (I don't necessarily know that it would be better but it's worth a try!) Fiber arts and music would be the most valued things in the country, and work would be about enrichening the human experience, not enrichening people. It would be a pure meritocracy, in which all privileges are determined through well-designed tests (e.g. if you are best at knitting beautiful shawls, then you shall work at knitting beautiful shawls). We would voluntarily keep the birth rate low and care more about quality of life than quantity of life, so that we have enough resources to support ourselves.

Hmmmm If I could name a country it would be called Sparroish for my daughter. (her nickname is sparrow) and it would be in the mountains with the wild springs, and trees. I would have a chair right on a deck and be able to rock and knit my heart away

My country would be called Woola and it would be a big island with mountains, birch and pine forests and lots of sheep (and no insects). Shifting weather, cool climate, but always a nice cabin available where you could curl up in front of the fire with your knitting and a cup of cocoa.

My country would be called Yarnville and it would be something like Alaska in the summertime. Beautiful weather that's not too hot, mountains with lots of sheep, alpacaa and goats on them, blue lakes and rivers, and lots of friends to knit with. Debbie H

My country would be called Martini Island! Guess what we'd drink there?? :) But there would be humidity control because my curly hair looks like a fro in too much humidity. I'd knit on the beach in my lounge chair while cabana boys bring me martinis, and I'd sell my hand knit goods to the tourists!

My country would be a place where you could ride your bike and knit every day. And ski in the mountains if you wanted. It would look like Ireland and smell like trees. All my favorite people would live there in happy little homes with gardens and dogs. We'd call it the park or the shire and live happily ever after.

Rainalia; a land of lush green forests, mist and rain. The land itself lends itself to introspection and quiet contemplation. Scarcely populated with people who LOVE knitwear. Doesn't matter if they make it themselves, or if they receive it as a gift.

My country would be Nulandia. There would be no factory farms - everyone would grown their own food or barter with other eco-friendly farmers. We would have lots of sheep, goats (angora), bamboo trees and cotton ... all of which would be made into yarn. It would be located where we would have a variety of temperatures to wear lightweight and wool/heavier handmade clothing.

My country would be called Kindness. It would be a place filled with love, joy, and gratitude. People would be kind to each other and kind to themselves. There would be all manner of learning and making and doing and fun.

The country would be called "Utopia". There would be speciality yarn shops on every corner and miles and miles of open space with countryside and shady trees to knit under...and no cell phone coverage. raveler-rsrinstructor

Oh if I got to have my own country it would be called Knitopia and there would be the worlds awesomest yarn store ever! I would have a huge resort/ bed and breakfast for knitters to come on retreat as well as farms with animals to produce wool.

I would have a house for each member of my family as well (well the ones I like :P )

Bestville - where you could have the best of everything. The best weather, the best food, the best knitting, anything you could imagine. I'd invite my nieces to come live there too, although I have a feeling the older one would want to name it Pinkville (can you tell her favorite color is pink?)